COMMUTER RAIL: Rep. David Flynn says state too broke to a build commuter rail extension -- State Rep. David L. Flynn, D-Bridgewater, says the state is financially unable to build a commuter rail extension linking Boston to Fall River and New Bedford. In a letter to selectmen in Raynham and Easton, Flynn, who represents the 8th Plymouth District, cited a report prepared for Gov. Deval Patrick by business executive David D’Alessandro that painted a “grim picture” of the MBTA’s finances.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x441551777/Rep-David-Flynn-says-state-too-broke-to-a-build-commuter-rail-extension

SHELTERS OPEN: Obstacles cleared for church homeless shelters -- Homeless men were welcome Thursday night to stay overnight at the first of six churches opening their doors on a rotating basis as temporary homeless shelters.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x1792908233/Temporary-reopening-Obstacles-cleared-for-church-homeless-shelters

HERO’S FAREWELL: Army Sgt. Benjamin William Sherman laid to rest -- The Rev. Mark Mendes knew Benjamin Sherman as a mischievous boy who could melt you with a look, especially if he was in trouble. But beneath the mischief it all was kindness, love and loyalty that grew with the boy into honor, courage and respect. Mendes had no trouble picturing Sherman sacrificing his life to help a struggling comrade in Afghanistan.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x2072217484/A-hero-s-farewell-Army-Sgt-Benjamin-William-Sherman-laid-to-rest
- Art: photo gallery

STUDENTS ARRESTED: Two charged after Harwich Tech ‘sit-in’ gets rowdy -- Harwich police said two students at Cape Cod Regional Technical High School were arrested Friday morning after a student protest of school administration policies became disorderly.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x2072217026/Two-charged-after-Harwich-Tech-sit-in-gets-rowdy
- Art: 4 photos

DOG BITINGS: Hingham dog owner faces criminal charges linked to bitings -- Gabriella, the English mastiff sentenced to death by Hingham selectmen for biting two women, has been spared by a clerk magistrate in Hingham District Court, who ordered the dog sent to a shelter in New York instead. But her owner, Megan Ullman of Hingham, faces criminal charges stemming from the biting incidents.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x2072217310/Hingham-dog-owner-faces-criminal-charges-linked-to-bitings
- Art: file photos

HUMAN BITINGS: Hingham man arrested for biting man’s ears during fight -- A Hingham man was arrested Saturday after Weymouth police said he bit off pieces of a man’s ears during a fight.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x1792908249/Hingham-man-arrested-for-biting-off-man-s-ears-during-fight
- Art: mug shot

CONVICTED MARINE: Clemency denied for Marine convicted of killing Iraqi -- The secretary of the Navy has rejected a plea to reduce the sentence of a Manomet, Mass., Marine serving an 11-year prison sentence for killing an Iraqi man in 2006.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x1682935016/Clemency-denied-for-Marine-convicted-of-killing-Iraqi

ANIMAL CONTROL JOB: Town receives more than 40 applications for Stoughton animal control officer -- More than 40 people have applied for the position of animal control officer after the previous officer was fired over the way she handled a missing dog report.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x1945264281/Town-receives-more-than-40-applications-for-Stoughton-animal-control-officer

SWAN SAGA: Stoughton swan may have a new mate, residents say -- After months of isolation, the beloved swan of Harrison’s Pond that lost its mate appears to have found a new love. In May, residents of the pond mourned the death of a female swan fatally injured in a scuffle with a raccoon or cat.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x730410722/Stoughton-swan-may-have-a-new-mate-residents-say
- Art: courtesy photo

BUSINESS

CHECKOUT LANE: The basics of buying a turkey - Chick Piantedosi, owner of Piantedosi’s Butcher Shop in Plymouth, Mass., says prices will be cheaper for frozen turkeys, but fresh ones taste better.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/news/business/x1792907944/Checkout-Lane-The-basics-of-buying-a-turkey
- With photos
- Localize it: Get quotes from a local turkey seller, add prices at local grocery stores.

MAKING CENTS: Don't worry, be happy this Turkey Day - With the stores full of turkeys and cranberries, I am reminded that not all people love the holidays. It reminds people of lost loved ones, family grievances or simply tolerating some of your least favorite people for your entire day off. But in celebration of Thanksgiving Day this year, I am going to ask you to shift your focus from what you do not like to what you do like and appreciate.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/news/business/x1792907981/Making-Cents-Dont-worry-be-happy-this-Turkey-Day
- With column mug

FINE PRINT: How to find the best bargains on Black Friday - The best day for bargain shopping is just around the corner, and we can't think of a better person to provide advice about navigating all the deals on Black Friday than Edgar Dworsky, the founder of the ConsumerWorld.org Web site.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/news/business/x441551539/Fine-Print-How-to-find-the-best-bargains-on-Black-Friday

CONSUMER PROTECTIONS: New state rules seek to prevent theft of customer information -- The regulations, which take effect March 1, will make customers’ and employees’ personal information harder for hackers to access.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x2072217128/New-state-rules-seek-to-prevent-theft-of-customer-information

DOG RACING: Simulcasting bill a good bet for Raynham, advocates say -- Approval of a new simulcasting bill in the House and Senate all but assures jobs for Raynham track workers and continued revenue for the town of Raynham from betting dollars.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x1682934650/Simulcasting-bill-a-good-bet-for-Raynham-advocates-say

UNLIKELY TRANSITION: Former mill in Fall River could turn into nightclub -- The Westport businessman planning to renovate and build an upscale night club in the former Anderson-Little mill building on Bedford Street has obtained Licensing Board approval to transfer his Abbey Grill liquor license.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x2072217316/Former-mill-in-Fall-River-could-turn-into-nightclub
- Art: photo

EDITORIAL: Politics and breast cancer -- The new guidelines on breast cancer screening released last week say a lot about the tough choices physicians and patients must make when it comes to preventive care, and about the role of science in informing those decisions. The reaction to the recommendations says a lot about how politicized everything about health care has become. From the MetroWest Daily News.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/opinions/editorials/x1792908197/Editorial-Politics-and-breast-cancer

EDITORIAL: Immigration, beyond the hot button issues -- If we want that success to continue in an increasingly competitive world, we must make legal immigrants feel welcome. That's especially true here in Massachusetts. Our great universities attract the best and brightest from around the world. Our innovation economy needs them to stick around and put their knowledge to work. From the MetroWest Daily News.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x215404215/Editorial-Immigration-beyond-the-hot-button-issues

EDITORIAL: Sex offender bill moves, rather than solves, problem -- Most people don’t want to be bothered with details about where sex offenders end up after being released from prison. They just want them taken away from their neighborhoods. The problem is that this “out of sight, out of mind” approach doesn't solve the problem it just moves it. From The Patriot Ledger.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x1945261891/Editorial-Sex-offender-bill-moves-rather-than-solves-problem

EDITORIAL: Undeserved time off for legislators -- Massachusetts' "Great and General Court" is considered a full-time legislature, but "full-time" apparently has a different meaning on Beacon Hill. How many of the rest of us with full-time jobs get to take off the week before Thanksgiving and not be expected back at the office until after New Year's Day? From the MetroWest Daily News.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x1682932120/Editorial-Undeserved-time-off-for-legislators

RICK HOLMES: Sarah Palin - politician or celebrity? -- The photo on the cover of Newsweek - and the controversy surrounding it - are Sarah Palin in a nutshell. This is how she wants to be seen: Outdoorsy, a woman who is not afraid to be sexy, one who is strong enough to be at home in the kitchen, one who stands with the flag. Sticklers for flag etiquette may object to Old Glory thrown like a dish towel over a kitchen stool, but Palin apparently didn’t.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x2072216997/Rick-Holmes-Sarah-Palin-politician-or-celebrity
- Art: column mug

WENDY MURPHY: We should consider law compelling bystanders to act when they witness a crime -- Naysayers will insist that the heavy hand of law is not the answer and that we should use education to inspire folks to give enough of a damn about a 15-year-old girl being gang raped, we won’t need the threat of incarceration to compel someone to call 911. I hope that day comes – though I’m not optimistic.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/features/x441549398/Wendy-Murphy-We-should-consider-law-compelling-bystanders-to-act-when-they-witness-a-crime
- Art: column mug

MARC MUNROE DION: It's the jobs, stupid - Rather than fighting poverty, we’ve chosen to embrace it, to prepare for it, to give it a home in every working-class American city. Forget struggling to make your mortgage. Walk away from your home and apply for housing. What if, and here’s an idea that’s slicker than a slippery slope, rather than providing federal money giveaways to pay your mortgage, the federal government worked on getting you a JOB so you could pay your mortgage? Of course, I’m asking this of the same federal government that watched (and helped) as manufacturing work left America.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x2072217136/Marc-Munroe-Dion-Its-the-jobs-stupid

LORETTA LAROCHE: Studies state the obvious -- I am always amazed at how often studies are published in which the obvious is “discovered.” The latest, greatest finding is about popcorn. It seems that researchers have discovered that movie popcorn has many more calories than previously thought, even without the butter.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x1792908038/Loretta-LaRoche-Studies-state-the-obvious
- Art: column mug

PETER COSTA: Thanksgiving is as sweet as sugar -- Thanksgiving is upon us as it ushers in a holiday season laden with my biggest challenge – baked goods. Already I can hear my doctor saying: “At first, I thought I was looking at a Mercator-projection map of Alaska, but discovered it actually is an x-ray of your pancreas. You must cut down on the sugar, man.”
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x1682934683/Peter-Costa-Thanksgiving-is-as-sweet-as-sugar
- Art: column mug

JULIE FAY: This Turkey Day will be done Queen Mum’s way -- This year we’re packing up the minivan and heading over the river and through the woods to my mother’s house, 400 miles away from my own kitchen. I am a bit worried, however, about the differences of opinion that will undoubtedly surface over Mom’s brand-new stove. To stuff or not to stuff? Low heat or high? Potato masher or electric mixer?
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x1945262234/Julie-Fay-This-Turkey-Day-will-be-done-Queen-Mum-s-way
- Art: column mug

LIFESTYLES/ENTERTAINMENT

MAMMOGRAM GUIDELINES: New mammogram advice angers some women -- With no family history of breast cancer or other known risk factors, Robyn Sharp didn't worry when Uxbridge's Tri-River Family Health Center called her back for a follow-up exam in 2001.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x1792908173/New-mammogram-advice-angers-some-women
- Art: photo

KIDNEY TRANSPLANTS: Westborough man donates kidney to set off 8-person chain of transplants -- Forget about giving you the shirt off his back - Edward Behn doesn't mind parting with a kidney. That is, he wouldn't if the Westborough resident hadn't already donated one earlier this month, kicking off a chain of kidney "swaps" that affected the lives of eight people.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x1792908152/Westborough-man-donates-kidney-to-set-off-8-person-chain-of-transplants
- Art: submitted photo

SERVICE TRIP TO AFRICA: MassBay students headed to Kenya to help with medical care – Jill Ruff and Heather Rascoe have plenty to juggle, as students taking prerequisite nursing classes, with jobs in food services and emergency medicine, and in Ruff's case, as a mother of three. But the Massachusetts Bay Community College students have taken on another challenge, raising money to go on a service learning trip to Africa, where they'll help provide aid in Samburu, a rural Kenyan village.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x2072217327/MassBay-students-headed-to-Kenya-to-help-with-medical-care
- Art: photo

THANKSGIVING SPICE: For many, Bell's Seasoning a key part of Thanksgiving -- Nearly synonymous with traditional Thanksgiving for New Englanders, Bell's Seasoning has remained unchanged for 142 years, its ingredients carefully guarded.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/x441551738/For-many-Bells-Seasoning-a-key-part-of-Thanksgiving
- Art: photos

KITCHEN CALL: Cooking with Mary Ann Esposito -- For nearly 20 years, Mary Ann Esposito has been the major promoter of Italian cooking in the USA, just as Julia Child was to French cooking. Although Mary Ann stands about a foot shorter, like Julia she’s a born educator, always willing to share knowledge and expertise.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x441549193/Kitchen-Call-Cooking-with-Mary-Ann-Esposito
- Art: column mug, 2 photos

PHOTOS: Showing off Santa hats -- Hundreds of Brockton High School students gathered Friday, Nov. 20, 2009, in the gymnasium to show off their new Santa hats. The Massachusetts city’s Downtown Holiday Parade committee donated 1,000 hats to the school in preparation for Brockton’s annual Holiday Parade, set for Nov. 28.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x1682934896/Photos-Showing-off-Santa-hats
- Art: 4 photos

SYMPHONY PERFORMANCE: Violin virtuoso Joshua Bell to show off skills with Boston Symphony Orchestra -- Bell joins the Boston Symphony Orchestra for a program of Thanksgiving week concerts. He talks about his new album, which includes collaborations with Josh Groban, Chris Botti and Sting.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x441551729/Violin-virtuoso-Joshua-Bell-to-show-off-skills-with-Boston-Symphony-Orchestra
- Art: provided photo

BOOK REVIEW: Author looks at life and science of Archimedes -- UMass-Dartmouth professor Alan Hirshfeld pens a mathematical pot-boiler about the life and science of Greek mathematician, physicist, engineer, inventor and astronomer Archimedes.
http://www.gatehousenewsservice.com/regional_news/east/massachusetts/x441551723/Book-review-Author-looks-at-life-and-science-of-Archimedes
- Art: cover of book

SPORTS

Watch for pro sports at prosports@gatehousemediane.com

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.